Where to get crisis psychiatric services for kids

We were interested to read the Ask Amy column (Mar. 10) about a reader who struggles with post traumatic stress disorder from an abusive upbringing. In the outpatient setting, we encounter many children and adolescents who are facing similar obstacles and we continually utilize county mental health services to help serve their various mental health care needs.

In particular, one resource that we use several times per week is the the Children’s Mental Health Crisis Services, which provides 24-hour support for urgent psychiatric matters. These and other services are integral to helping us provide comprehensive care to our patients and their families in the valley, where mental health services are scarce.

It is imperative to continue funding these programs and consider further development of mental health services for children and adolescents in this area. It is not only the physical ailments which we can see that affect our patients’ health, but also their unmet psychiatric needs which add stress and strife to their daily lives.

Bonnie Singh and Soe Maw

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